Crickitt Day needs a job . . . any job. After her husband walks out on her, she’s determined to re-build her life and establish a new career. When swoon-worthy billionaire Shane August hires her as his assistant, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. Despite her growing attraction to her boss, she vows to keep things strictly professional. No flirting. No kissing. Definitely no falling in love...

Shane August is all business, all the time. He’s a self-made man who’s poured his heart and soul into his company, and he’d never allow himself to get involved with an employee. Then he hires sweet, sexy Crickitt—and he can’t keep his mind or his hands off her. But no matter how much he wants Crickitt, Shane fears that painful secrets from his past will always come between them. With fate working against them, can these two lonely hearts learn that sometimes mixing business with pleasure is the perfect merger?

The romance genre is oversaturated with billionaire plots and even though I had my doubts, Jessica Lemmon’s Tempting the Billionaire was a pleasant surprise.

Crickitt Day is down on her luck and needs a job. Hoping to chase the blues away she agrees to a night out with her best friend Sadie. While at the bar Crickitt breaks down into tears as she takes stock of her life and what she’s lost. Across from Crickitt is Shane August and his cousin Aiden. Shane reluctantly agrees to go out with Aiden to help him get back into the dating scene. Aiden quickly zeroes in on Crickitt and seeing her tears assumes she’ll be easy to seduce; however, Shane takes one look at Crickitt and his heart stops. He’s interested in her and convinces Aiden that Crickitt’s friend is where his interest lies. When Shane begins to talk to Crickitt, she confesses she needs a job and acting on impulse he hands her his business card. She’s hesitant about the job interview and in fact turns down his offer, but reconsiders when he interviews her a second time. Both are clearly attracted to each other and Shane tries to set up guidelines of how to go about their relationship, but Crickitt doesn’t want what he’s offering. Realizing he can’t give her what she wants, they both agree to maintain a professional relationship. When Crickitt’s ex-husband calls her, Shane believes she’s gone back to him and what ensues is a beautiful story about a man and a woman realizing what true love is.

What I really liked about Tempting the Billionaire is the fact Shane is normal. He wears cargo pants and isn’t flashing his cash telling the whole world “oh look at me! I’m filthy rich!” When he does, it’s to help people who need it. He’s also not going around showing up where Crickitt is or demanding to know her whereabouts. Nor is he showering her with endless gifts. He’s not interested in buying her love, but rather he’s more interested in getting to know her. Shane does have some issues that are rooted in his past as a child. It’s easy to understand his reluctance at falling in love because he witnessed firsthand what it did to his father and he wants to spare his children the heartache he experienced. The scene in which he realizes he can’t live without Crickitt was the best. It’s also refreshing to read a book where the two protagonists are aware of their sexual attraction and have an adult conversation about what to do about it.

Some people think Crickitt is a doormat but I disagree. You have to take into account her past. Most people enter relationships with some baggage and what she has is normal for a woman who is divorced. Remember she’s only known one man and spent the past eleven years catering to him. Besides she’s perfectly able to stand up for herself and knows what she wants. When Shane takes off to distance himself from her, she had one of two of options. The first was to continue to work for him as his personal assistant or quit and leave him hanging. Instead she took the initiative and became the face of August Industries when Shane didn’t care.

Lemmon’s characters are believable and flawed. Her writing is engaging and witty. If I had been reading this book out in public, everyone would have seen the HUGE grin on my face. I had so much fun reading this and adore it immensely.

Some of my favorite quotes:

Women may throw themselves at you like live grenades, but the rest of us commoners have to come out of the trenches and hunt.

She looked at it a beat before taking it. “Crickitt.”
“Like the bug?” He flinched. Smooth.

Her mother pulled her to one side. “You stay as long as he needs you, you hear?”
Pimped out by my own parents. “Yes, Mother.”

I’m not ashamed to say I read this book in a day. I kept insisting I would only read one more chapter and just kept going. If you’re looking for a book with lots of sexual tension that will make your heart beat, this is the book for you. Heck if you’re just looking for a good fleshed out romance this is your book. There’s a side romance between Sadie and Aiden and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in book 2, Hard to Handle.